Apparatus for sewing carpet-corners



6 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(NmMOdeI.)

F. AMES. APPARATUS POR SEWING CARPET CORNERS.

Na, 520,90?. Patented Julie 5, 1894.

I @f w Inf/ma? 19g 72! dwf (No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 2.

- A P. AMES.

APPARATUS POR SEWING CARPET GORNERS.

No. 520,909. 0 Patented June 5, 1894.

mllilll 6 Sheets-Sheet 4.

.ARPBT GORNERS.

Patented June 5, 1894.

K APPARATUS PoR se No. 520,909.

(No Model.)

n m m m m Ilm {No Model.) 6 Sheets- Sheet 6.

F. AMES.

APPARATUS POR SEWING GARPET GORNERS. No. 520,909. l PatentedlJune57i/1894.

M f JVZ lll lllllllmmnullllllh UNITED STATES PATENT CEFICE.

FRANKLTN AMEs, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR SEWING CARPET-CORNERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 520,909, dated J' une5, 1894.

` Application filed November 15 1890. Serial No. 371,599. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN AMES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, In the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveInvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for SewingCarpet- Corners, which is fully set forth in the following`specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a plan View of a carpet-sewing apparatus constructedin accordance with my Inventlon. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the same.Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section of the same, on the line 3 3, ofFig. 1. Fig. 4 1s a detached view, inside elevation,of the clampemployed in connection with the apparatus shown-in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.Fig. 5 is an edge view of the clamp shown in Fig. 4. Fig.

6 is a cross-sectionalview of the clamp shown in Figs. 4 and 5, on'theline 6--6, of-Fig. 4. Fig. 7 1s a detached View of one of the pinsemployed to temporarily secure the border to the side of the table. Fig.8 is a plan view of a portion of the sectional track employed 1n thestructure shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. F1g.9 is a cross-sectional View,on the line 9 9, of Fig. 8.- Fig. 10 is a transverse vertical section,on the line 10-10, of Fig. 1. Fig. 1l is a planview of the two ends of aborder temporarily secured together previous to the sewing of thecorner. Fig. 12 is a plan view of a portion of the border showing itscrease. Fig. 13 is a side elevation of the border in position upon theside ofthe table, shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Fig. 14 is a sideelevation of the table and the clamp with the border held in readinessfor the sewing operation. Fig. 15 is a vertical section on the line 15.15 of Fig. 13; Fig. 16, a -similar section on the line 16. 16 of Fig.14. Fig. 17 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in the precedingfigures, and illustrating the border in position for sewing. Fig. 18 isa transverse vertical section, on the line 18-18, of Fig. 17. Fig. 19 isa side elevation of a modified form of clamp employed 'for holding theborder in position for sewing. Fig. 2O is a cross-sectional view on theline 20-20, of Fig. 19. Fig. 21 is a cross-sectional view, on the line21--21, of Fig. 19. Fig. 22 is an end elevation of the mechanism withwhich the clamp shown in Fig. 19 is employed.

In the drawings Figs. 1, 2, and 3, are upon one scale; Figs. 4 to 14inclusive, and Figs. 17, 19, and 22 are upon a single scale enlargedfrom the former; and Figs. 15, 16 and 18 are upon a single scale stillfurther enlarged.

Previous to my present invention it has always been necessary to sew thecorners of carpet borders by hand, and thus the cost of the carpet hasbeen greatly increased. The obj ect of my invention is to providemechanism for sewing the corners of carpet borders and thus dispensewith hand work, and at the same time decrease the expensiveness of thecarpet.

.To the above purpose my invent-ion consists in certain peculiar andnovel features of construction and arrangement, as hereinafter describedand claimed.

In the said drawings, A, in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, designates a table whichis of L.-shape, and upon one end of which is placed an electric motor,B, which is of any suitable or preferred type adapted to this class ofvwork. The said motor is preferably mounted upon a vertical standard, B',rising from the table A and elevating the motor out of the way oi' theborder while the latter is being sewed upon the table A, and adjacent tothe motor-standard B is mounted a sewing machine, C, which is of anytype suitable to this heavy class of work; The power-shaft,c, of thesewing machine is driven by a belt, D, which runs over a pulley, o',upon the power-shaft c of the sewing machine, and also over a pulley, b'upon the power-shaft b of the motor B. The current is applied to andshutoff from the motor by means of a treadle, E, pivoted beneath themachine and connected by a rod, e, to a switch-lever, e of a suitablerheostat inclosed within a box, E, secured beneath the top of the tableA. One side of the table A is formed with a number of recesses, a, whichare arranged in two rows extending horizontally one abovepthe other.Upon the top of the table is also placed a tracky or rail, F, whichextends longitudinally of the table over the bed plate of the sewingmachine. The track F is provided with a removable section, F', whichextends transversely over the bed-plate, c2, of the sewing machine, andthis bed-plate rests upon a slide, A', which is tongued into the top ofthe table A, as indi- TOO cated in Fig. l0, so as to permitof movementof the slide transversely of the table A. This movement of the slide isaccomplished by manipulations ot a hand-lever, G, pivoted at one end tothe top of the table A, and connected by a pin, g, to the said slide A.The movements of the slide A are made to accord with the distancebetween the two rows of recesses a., and this adjustment is determinedby two gage-marks, q, upon the table A, anda gage-mark, q', upon theslide A'.

Previous to the sewing of the border, the ends of the same are turnedunder, as indicated at 7i in Fig. 11, so as to form a crease asindicated at h in Fig. 12, the said crease extending obliquely of theborder so as to form a miter-seam as indicated at h2 in Fig. 11. Theends of the border pieces, H, are attached together, at each extremityof the seam by a shortpiece of cord,II, which is suitably knotted. Thesecords thus retain the borderpieces in proper position for sewing. Theborder pieces are now laid over upon each other, so as to expose theedges h, and the creases h serve as guides for the sewing, or, in otherwords, the needle of the sewing machine follows the creases h', so as toproperly unite the ends of the border pieces. After the border pieces Hhave been folded over upon each other, as above described, theborder isplaced against that edge of the table which is provided with theapertures a, and according as the edges 7L are of greateror less width(or are what as is known as long cuts or short cuts) pins, I, are placedeither in the upper or lower sets of holes a, so as to cause the edges7L to protrude above the top of the table A. The protruding edges, h, ofthe border pieces are now grasped by a suitable clamp. This clampconsists of a hinged or swinging bar, J, and a fixed bar or inember, Jthe former being connected to the latter by hinges,j. The bar, J, has asmooth face, but the fixed bar, J is provided with a number of teeth,j', which pass through the projecting edges, h, of the border and enterrecesses or holes in the hinged bar, J, as the latter is closed upon theformer. The fixed bar, J', is also constructed with several extensionsoutward at one edge, which are practically arms projecting outwardlyfrom the body of the bar, each of which carries a roller, J2, which isjournaled to the outer or under side of the extension arm. Astoparm,J3,is also pivoted at one end to the outer end of each of these extensionsof the clainp-bar, J and after the hinged clainp-bar has been closeddown upon the edges of the border pieces, as above described, thesearms, J 3, are swung inward, and when turned into a position aboutperpendicular to theliinged clampbar their free ends will abut againstthe back edge of this bar, as seen in Figs. 14 and 17, thereby fasteningthe hinged bar in place and so insuring the retention of the edges ofthe border pieces between the two members of the clamp. A longrectangular button, J 4, is also pivoted to the back edge of thehingedclampbar, as seen in Figs. 14 and 17, in which the heads of thepivots are seen, and these buttonsmay, of course,be turned ontheirpivots. After the border-pieces have thus been secuied by theclamp, the latter, which has thus far been in upright position, as showniii Fig. 16,islaid back horizontally upon the table A, as shown in Fig.18, so that the track F shall extend between the roller J 2 and thepivoted buttons, J4, on the back edge of the hinged clamp-bar, J, whichbuttons have been turned on their pivots into a position transverse otthe said clamp-bar, as seen in Fig. 18.' .When the clamp is not adjustedin this position for work, the buttons, J 4, are turned so as to lielengthwise of the said clamp-bar, as seen iii Fig. 16. The sewingmachine is now moved, by means of the lever G, so as to bring the needleover the creases h', and the border is moved along by hand as the sewingp rogresses. In order to prevent any variation of the sewing from theline prescribed by the creases h', and which might result from thedragging of the body of the carpet, I mount upon one end of the clamp anarm, I', to the outer end of which is attached a chain, 7c,.or a similarflexible device, and to the opposite extremity of this device I attach ahook, 7c', which is inserted into the body of the carpet. Thus thecarpet is caused to move 1n the proper direction beneath the needle ofthe machine, so that the line of stitches shall .accurately follow thecreases 71.', by preventing any drag at this end. f

In Figs. 19 to 22 I have shown a modified structure wherein the borderis held stationary while the sewing machine travels along the creases 7Lto sew the miter seams. In this arrangement I mount the sewing machine C(which is, as before, of any type suitable to this heavy class of work)upon a table, L, which is supported on a number of carryingwheels, Z,one of which is partially shown in Fig. 22. The tires of these wheelsare grooved to run upon suitable tracks which extend parallel with thefront of a work-table, M, the structure being similar to that shown anddescribed in my Patent No. 454,404, dated June 16, 1891. In thisinstance a single row of recesses, m, are formed in the front edge ofthe table M, and a rectangular clampingframe, N, is employed to hold thecarpet-border Hin proper position for the sewing of its miterseams. Aclamping bar, O, is hinged at one end to one corner of the frame N, asshown at o, and said bar is held in operative or clamping position by asuitable turn-button, o. A number of pins or teeth, o3, are formed onthe upper side of the clamping-frame N and enter recesses in the underside of the clamping-bar O when the latter is in clamping position. Theplus or teeth oB pass through the border I-I, and thus hold the frame inproper position while the miter-seam is being sewed. At first theclampingframe is placed vertically against the front of the table M, andpins, P, are

passed through the edges of the border and into the recesses m.Subsequently the pins P are removed and the frame is placed iat upon thetable M, so as to cause the creases to lie beneath the needle of thesewing machine in position for running the miter-seam.

Fromwthe above description it will be seen that in either form of theapparatus the miterseams are accurately sewed, and that all handsewingof these seams is dispensed with.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an apparatus for sewing corners of earpet borders, the table Aprovided with a track F running lengthwise along the top thereof, incombination with a clamp J J adapted to seize and retain the corneredges to be sewed and provided with rollers J 2 adapted to be applied toone edge of said track, and a sewing machine mounted on the table andarranged to stitch together the carpet corner edges as the clamp ismoved alongvover the table and guided by the rail thereon, substantiallyas described.

2. In an apparatus for sewing corners of carpet borders, the table A, incombination with a guide track F mounted on the table top and a clamp JJ adapted to seize and hold together the carpet edges and constructedwith angular extensions at the back edge of J and rollers J 2, mountedon the clamp and arranged kto embrace said track between them and the

